Separator



Feb. s, 1944.

G. s. DUNHAM S EPARATOR Filed May 6, 1942 '2 sheets-sheet 1 :NvEN'roR SEPARATOR Filed May 6, 1942 2 SheetSFSheet 2- 635;/ FZ? Qi" ff ,4/ n u 4nd hv ATTORN aww/93%? Patented Feb. 8,119'44 SEPARATDR George S. Dunham, Merion, Pa., assigner to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company,

Incorporated,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 6, 1942, Serial No. 441,913-

z claims. (or. 18a-83) This invention pertains to la device for the separation of uids of different density and is particularly adapted for the separation of liquids from vapors.

In many industrial installations it is desirable to separate a liquid from a gas as completely as is practicable. A typical example is in the preparation: of petroleum fractions for Variousv rprocessing steps, such as catalytic cracking.

Such cracking involves passing a suitable cracking stockv in Acontact with a catalyst, such as clay, or a'synthetic alumina-silica 'composition until the deposition of coke on the catalyst contaminates the saine to an extent which reduces cracking eciency below a practical minimum. The coke is then burned oi with preheated air and is ready for renewed cracking. The actual time of these plants operated for cracking is considerably below 50% of total operating time and every precaution must be taken to reduce coking of the catalyst and consequent reduction of on-stream time through increasedv time for burning of the coke. In general, the heavy constituents of the crude from which the charge for catalytic cracking is made up are much more prone to form carbonaceous deposits. The separation of heavier materials from the charge is therefore a matter of primary importance. Usually the raw crude is heated to a` temperature to vaporize the constituents desired for charge to the cracking unit and passed to a vaporizing chamber from which vapors to be used in preparation of the charge are Withdrawn as such, while heavier material remains unvaporized and is Withdrawn as a liquid. often referred to as tar. Some of the tar remains suspended in the vapors and is carried through with the vapors. The problems involved in separating out such suspended tar are very troublesome.

I have now designed a unit which separates out the'suspended tars to give a substantially tarfree vapor, which unit may be used as the vaporizing chamber or included in the line intermedi'ate the h eater and cracking chambers. Briefly stated, the invention contemplates provision of an enlarged chamber having an annular chamof a preferred embodiment of the invention illusber therein communicating with the main cham- `lower plates trated in the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation o f apparatus embodying the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a section online 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3. The device comprises a Ashell I0 dening a large chamber to which preheated feed is supplied through inlet II, while vapors are withdrawn through outlet I2 in the top and liquids through outlets I3 and I4. A manway I5 is provided for use in cleaning and/or repair. The inlet II discharges into an annular space I6 defined by the shell, annular wall I1 and upper and I3 and I9, Disposed equally throughout the annular space I6 are a plurality of unit separators each communicating with space -I6 through an opening in lower plate I9 to which is tted a depending` nozzle 20 which communicates at its lower end with the interior of the chamber through a trap indicated generally at 2I and is tted with a tube 22 extending through the annular space from an open end fitted in flange 23 to a point within the nozzle 2li well below the upper end of said nozzle. Arranged between the nozzle 20 and the tube 22 is a series of vanes 24 arranged generally helically with respect to the axis of tube 22 and nozzle 20.

As will be seen from Figure 4, the trap 2| consists of a pipe 25 open at the bottom surrounding the lower end of nozzle 20 and submerged in an open cup 26. The vanes 24 are preferably formed to impart to gases passing therethrough a whirling motionv opposite in direction to that prevailing in the annular space by reason of the tangential discharge of inlet II. In the embodiment shown, gases in the annular space will be given a clockwise motion (looking down), while the vanes 24 in each of the unit separators will impart to the gases passing therethrough a counterf clockwise motion.

In operation, wet gases and/or a liquid to be vaporized will be supplied to the annular space by inlet I I wherein vaporization to an extent dependent upon nature of the material charged, temperature and pressure may take place; the wet gases as charged and/or formed being given a whirling motion in a clockwise direction by reason of the tangential discharge from inlet l I to the annular space. A portion of the gases containing entrained liquid will pass into the upper part of each unit separator and down through the vanes 24 whereby it will be given a whirling motion in a counter-clockwise direction. vThere is a tendency to concentration of the entrained liquid in the outer portion of the\-` annular space and some drops will be formed there. The principal separation, however, augmented to some extent bythe drops already formed, occurs in and below the vanes 24. Here the velocity of the uid is greatly increased and a sharp whirling action causes liquids to move outwardly against the wall of nozzle 20 leaving a central portion of substantially dry gas to pass upwardly through tube 22 to enter the chamber proper for discharge from the unit, The trap 2| will prevent passage of gaseous material as such to the chamber directly through nozzle 20. On the other hand. the Ytar often contains in solution appreciable amounts of material suitable for 'the vapors. The discharge of the tar from trap 2| to the chamber proper permits vaporization of such dissolved matter, thus substantially increasing the efficiency of vaporization.

l. In a device of the class described. means defining a chamber, means deiining an annular space within said chamber and a central chimney within said space to establish communicatending downwardly from the bottom of said space, a liquid trap on the bottom of said member adapted to permit flow of liquid and inhibit flow of gas from said member to said chamber, a

tube open at both'ends extending from a point l within the upper part of said member coaxially therewith to said chamber above said space and a plurality of helical varies between said member and said tube.

2. In a device of the class described, means deiining a chamber, means defining an annular space within said chamber and a central chimney within said space to establish communication between the ends of the chamber, means for admitting iiuid tangentially to said space to impart a rotary motion to fluid in said space, means to withdraw iiuid from the top of said chamber.v

means to withdraw iiuid from the bottom of said chamber and a plurality of unit separators spaced about and communicating with said space each comprising a tubular member open to and 

